The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-05
Two Tiger Stories.
From Shikur Stories By J. Brown.

Two Tiger Stories.
From, Shikdr Stories By j. Brown
Myself and brother officer reached dur
ing our trip place called Mafouda, situated
on the banks of river, tributary of the
Vein Gunga, if | remember rightly, in the
Chanda district. We here heard that
tiger, tigress and three cubs frequented
the tigress, moreover, mad by native report
been magnified into ''mln-eater," and was
said to have killed a man the day previous
to our arrival. This, indeed, proved to be
the fact but that the poor wretch lost his
life was due entirely to hi own carelessness
and foolhardineSs. The man in question
had small patch of cultivation border
ing the cover in which the tigers
generally lay up. The cubs in their gambOls
had done considerable damage to the crop,
rolling about in it, and breaking down the
plants. In order to prevent their making
his field their playground, the owner, in
spite of being advised to the contrary, an
nounced his determination of setting fire to
the long grass at the end of the jungle. This
intention he accordingly proceeded to carry
into effect, and had hardly kindled the
flames which were to insure him from future
damage, when the tigress, which had been
lying up within a few yards of him, rushed
out and knocked him over, killing him al
most inStantaneously. She, however, left
him and never ate any of the body, as she
would have done had she been a real man.
eater The evening of our arrival we had
three or four 'bailas' tied out, and the
following morning had the satisfaction
of hearing one was killed. Accordingly,
about IL o'clock, we started with some
eighty heaters for the scene of action. The
carcass of the calf had been dragged by the
tigress INTO a small nullah that debouched
into the main river; about half a mile
farther on there was a similar nullah, and
between these two we took up our positions
in trees and some fifty yards apart. The
beat had not commenced more than five
minutes and l was gazing eagerly to my
front when saw the tigress. followed by
three cubs, not quite half grown, and about
the size of big mastiffs, coming straight
toward me. She was slouching sulkily
along, evidently much put out at being dis
turbed, and the cubs trotted after her, one
of them every now and then stopping, with
pricked ears, and gazing back toward the
beaters: then it would scamper on after its
mother. 1t was a pretty sylvan
scene, and the sunlight, falling on
their sleek-striped hides as they moved
noiselessly over the dead leaves that car
peted the ground, glittered and quivered In
fantastic RAYS They came straight OF for
my post, and got within ten yards of e,
when, with an upward curl of the hip al c
twitching of the tip of her tail, that we'll
known sign of irritation which always
means mischief on the part of the feline
race, the tigress stopped to listen; and as
she turned her head back gazing toward tue
beaters | aimed at her neck between its
junction with the shoulders and the ears
and fired. She dropped in her tracks with
out groan and never stirred. 1t seemed
as if in a twinkling the ground had, as it
were, been cut from under her legs, at the
| speed of electricity. | only on one other
occasion ever saw any large animal pass so
suddenly from life to death without even a
| twitch or movement of a muscle
Two gentlemen, we will call them A. and
| B.. residing together on an estate, had lost,
besides other employees, two ''chowkedars,"
or native watchmen, within a few days,
and the unfortunate men had been actually
CARRIED oil out OF the veranda of the bun
galow. A. and B., therefore, determined
! to clothe themselves like natives. and sit
during the iglt armed. IN The verauda, in
The hopes they might be able to get a shot
at the man-eater, who they thought might
probably return to the spot which had
already provided him with two victims
They proceeded to carry out this intention,
and sat UP until or 3 o'clock in the morn
ing. but nothing appeared. A. then said
he should not stay up any longer, as he did
not believe the animal would come; but B.
announced his intention of waiting half an
were large windows opening down
to the floor of the veranda,
and through one of these A. retired, and
after entering his room had just closed the
window and was gazing ouc for an instant,
when he saw a dark mass land in the veran-
da right on tc his friend, then heard sounds
of a scuffie and a cry for help. Selling his
rife, to which a sword bayonet was attached,
and finging up the window, he rushed out
in time to see B. walking down the steps
that led up to the veranda from the garden
alongside of the tiger, with his hand in the
latter's mouth A. was afraid to fire, lest
he should hit his friend, so running after
him he, with admirable presence Of mind,
went up to the tiger and plunging his bayo-
net into the animals body at the same in
slant lred. There was roar and a scuffle,
and B. took advantage of the moment to re-
lease his hand, and the tiger, after
tumbling about for a moment or two, died.
B. g hand was terribly mangled, and he sub
seuuently, believe, had to have it amputa-
ted: but the loss of a hand was a compare
lively cheap price to pay for saving his life,
which was mainly owing TO the wonderful
GOODNESS of himself and his friend. From
his narrative of the event, it appears that as
soon as A. had closed the window the tiger
who must have been all the time lying close
to them landed in the veranda with a
mighty spring, and seized b. by the hand.
He with wonderful GOODNESS, at once on be-
ing seized made no effort to extricate the
limb, though the pain must have been ex-
circulating, but quietly rising followed the
tigers movements, and actually walked
some way by his side with his hand in the
brute's mouth, until A., by his prompt and
determined action, released MIN.
"Full Many Gem
.,r.- so,.a,,a 4la dark infathOfnad